Display device comprising a first insulating layer having a first concave portion formed between a resin layer and a pillar-shaped spacer

ABSTRACT

A first organic insulating film is arranged on a first substrate in a circumference area outside an active area. A mounting portion is located in the circumference area for mounting a signal source. A second organic insulating film is formed on a second substrate in the circumference area so as to face the first substrate. The second substrate exposes the mounting portion. A seal material is arranged between the first organic insulating film and the second organic insulating film to attach the first substrate and the second substrate. A resin layer is arranged between the first organic insulating film and the second organic insulating film in the circumference area, and formed in a rectangular frame shape including four linear ends. An end along the mounting portion is formed broadly than other ends.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 120 from U.S. Ser. No. 15/782,350, filed Oct. 12,2017, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 120 from U.S. Ser. No. 15/176,991, filed Jun. 8, 2016,which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/987,363, filed Jan. 4, 2016(now U.S. Pat. No. 9,405,155), which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No.14/297,915, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,274,380, filed Jun. 6, 2014, and whichclaims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from prior JapanesePatent Application No. 2013-119733, filed Jun. 6, 2013; the entirecontents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a liquid crystaldisplay device and a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

A liquid crystal display device is used in various fields as a displaydevice. In such a liquid crystal display device, it is important to forma uniform cell gap (thickness of a liquid crystal layer held between apair of substrates) of an active area which displays images. In recentyears, while arranging a pillar-shaped spacer on one substrate as forforming the cell gap, a technology to form the spacer with sufficientaccuracy in the height is established as requested. Thereby, theuniformity of the cell gap is attained.

There is a dropping injection method as one of the technology whichmanufactures the liquid crystal display device. In the droppinginjection method, after liquid crystal material is dropped in a regionsurrounded by seal material on an array substrate or a countersubstrate, the array substrate and the counter substrate are attachedtogether in a state of vacuum, and returning to an atmospheric pressurestate from the vacuum state. Thereby the pair of substrates ispressurized by pressure difference between the inside of the regionsurrounded by the seal material and open air pressure, and the sealmaterial is crushed. Consequently, a predetermined cell gap is formed.The dropping injection method has advantages, such as shortening of tacttime, improvement in efficiency of utilization of material, andimprovement in accuracy of the cell gap.

As the seal material applied to the dropping injection method,ultraviolet curing type adhesives have been used widely. Since viscosityof the ultraviolet curing type adhesives is high, a drawing method usinga dispenser, not a printing method is adopted.

In recent years, the cell gap tends to be made narrow to improveresponse characteristic, alignment characteristic, viewing anglecharacteristic, etc., of the liquid crystal display device. Moreover,the request for reducing the external configuration size of the liquidcrystal display device is increasing, and the width of seal materialtends to become narrow corresponding to the narrow frame.

On the other hand, in a neighborhood along a mounting portion formounting signal sources such as a driving IC chip, since the sealmaterial is crushed easily, and it is hard to form a desired cell gapcompared with other neighborhoods, there is a possibility that thecrushed area may be sighted as display unevenness. To such a subject,the technology of securing the uniformity of the cell gap and preventingdisplay unevenness is proposed by arranging the spacer in the mountingportion as well as the display area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute aportion of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention,and together with the general description given above and the detaileddescription of the embodiments given below, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a display panel PNLapplicable to a liquid crystal display device according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure ofone pixel including a switching element SW of the display panel PNLshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in acircumference area PRP of the display panel PNL taken along line A-Bshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure inthe circumference area PRP of the display panel PNL taken along line C-Dshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a layout of pillar-shaped spacers SP2 and aresin layer 40 in the display panel PNL according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the sameaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will nowbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein thesame or like reference numerals designate the same or correspondingportions throughout the several views.

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes: afirst substrate including; a first insulating substrate, a first organicinsulating film arranged on the first insulating substrate in acircumference area outside an active area for displaying images, an amounting portion located in the circumference area for mounting a signalsource, a second substrate including; a second insulating substrate, anda second organic insulating film formed on the second insulatingsubstrate in the circumference area so as to face the first substrate,the second substrate exposing the mounting portion, a seal materialarranged between the first organic insulating film and the secondorganic insulating film to attach the first substrate and the secondsubstrate; a resin layer arranged between the first organic insulatingfilm and the second organic insulating film in the circumference area,and formed in a rectangular frame shape including four linear ends,wherein an end along the mounting portion is formed broadly than otherends; and a liquid crystal layer held in a gap surrounded with the sealmaterial between the first substrate and the second substrate.

According to other embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes:a first substrate including; a first insulating substrate, a firstorganic insulating film arranged on the first insulating substrate in acircumference area outside an active area for displaying images, and amounting portion located in the circumference area for mounting a signalsource, a second substrate including; a second insulating substrate, anda second organic insulating film formed on the second insulatingsubstrate in the circumference area so as to face the first substrate,the second substrate exposing the mounting portion, a resin layerarranged between the first organic insulating film and the secondorganic insulating film adjacent to a substrate end of the secondsubstrate, and formed in a rectangular frame shape, a seal materialarranged between the first organic insulating film and the secondorganic insulating film to attach the first substrate and the secondsubstrate; and a liquid crystal layer held in a gap surrounded with theseal material between the first substrate and the second substrate,wherein a space in which the seal material does not intervene is formedalong the mounting portion between the first organic insulating film andthe resin layer or between the second organic insulating film and theresin layer in a position where the first substrate faces the secondsubstrate.

According to other embodiment, a method of manufacturing a liquidcrystal display device, comprising the steps: preparing a first mothersubstrate configured by a plurality of array substrates, each arraysubstrate including a first organic insulating film arranged in acircumference area outside an active area for displaying images, and amounting portion located in the circumference area for mounting a signalsource; preparing a second mother substrate configured by a plurality ofcounter substrates, each counter substrate including a second organicinsulating film in the circumference area; arranging a seal materialbetween the first organic insulating film and the second organicinsulating film to attach the first mother substrate and the secondmother substrate; forming a resin layer on the array substrate or thecounter substrate in a rectangular frame shape including four linearends in the circumference area, wherein an end along the mountingportion for mounting a signal source is formed broadly than other ends;attaching the first mother substrate and the second mother substrate;forming a liquid crystal layer held in a gap surrounded with the sealmaterial between the array substrate and the counter substrate, andcutting down the first and second mother substrates along cutting linesto separate the respective array substrates and the counter substrates,wherein a space in which the seal material does not intervene is formedalong the mounting portion between the first organic insulating film andthe resin layer or between the second organic insulating film and theresin layer in a position where the first substrate faces the secondsubstrate.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a display panel PNLapplicable to the liquid crystal display device according to anembodiment.

The display panel PNL is formed of an active-matrix type liquid crystaldisplay panel, and equipped with a liquid crystal layer LQ held betweenan array substrate AR and a counter substrate CT facing the arraysubstrate AR. The array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT arepasted together by a seal material SE while a predetermined cell gap isformed between the substrates. In the illustrated example, the sealmaterial SE is formed in a closed-shape of rectangular frame. The cellgap is formed of pillar-shaped spacers arranged in the array substrateAR or the counter substrate CT. The liquid crystal layer LQ is held inthe cell gap formed between the array substrate AR and the countersubstrate CT, and surrounded with the seal material SE. The displaypanel PNL is equipped with an active area ACT which displays a pictureon the inner side surrounded by the seal material SE. The active areaACT is formed of an approximately rectangular shape, and formed of aplurality of pixels PX arranged in the shape of a matrix, for example.

The array substrate AR is equipped with a gate line G extending in afirst direction X, a source line S extending in a second direction Yorthogonally crossing the X direction so as to cross the gate line G, aswitching element SW connected with the gate line G and the source lineS, a pixel electrode PE connected with the switching element SW, etc.Although the counter substrate CT is equipped with a counter electrodeCE facing each of the pixel electrodes PE through the liquid crystallayer LQ, for example, the array substrate AR may be equipped with thecounter electrode CE.

In addition, explanation is omitted about the detailed structure of thedisplay panel PNL. In the modes such as TN (Twisted Nematic) mode, OCB(Optically Compensated Bend) mode, and VA (Vertical Aligned) mode whichmainly use vertical electric field, while the array substrate AR isequipped with the pixel electrode PE, the counter substrate CT isequipped with the counter electrode CE. Moreover, the array substrate ARis equipped with the both of the pixel electrode PE and the counterelectrode CE in the modes which mainly use lateral electric field, suchas IPS (In-Plane Switching) mode and FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode.

In this embodiment, the display panel PNL is formed in a square shape,and the array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT are also formedin the square shape. The array substrate AR has substrate ends E11 toE14, and the counter substrate CT has substrate ends E21 to E24. Thesubstrate end E11 overlaps with the substrate end E21, the substrate endE12 overlaps with the substrate end E22, the substrate end E13 overlapswith the substrate end E23, and the substrate end E14 is located outsideof the substrate end E24. That is, the array substrate AR extends tooutside the substrate end E24 of the counter substrate CT, and has amounting portion MT between the substrate end E14 and the substrate endE24. The counter substrate CT exposes the mounting portion MT.

The signal source required for driving the display panel PNL, such as adriving IC chip 2 and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrate 3, islocated in the circumference area PRP outside the active area. ACT. Inthis embodiment, the driving IC chip 2 and the FPC substrate 3 aremounted in the mounting portion MT. The circumference area PRP is anarea surrounding the active area ACT, and is formed in the shape of arectangular frame including the area where the seal material SE isarranged.

In addition, in the illustrated display panel PNL, the seal material SEextends up to three sides except the mounting portion MT, i.e., theposition in which the substrate end E11 and the substrate end E21overlap, the position in which the substrate end E12 and the substrateend E22 overlap, and the position in which the substrate end E13 and thesubstrate end E23 overlap, respectively. Moreover, in the position wherethe array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT counter along withthe mounting portion MT, the seal material SE stopped on the active areaside rather than the substrate end E24, and does not extend to thesubstrate end E24.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure ofone pixel including a switching element SW of the display panel PNLshown in FIG. 1. Herein, a cross-cross-sectional structure of thedisplay panel PNL in which the vertical electric field mode is appliedis explained as one example.

The array substrate AR is formed using a transparent first insulatingsubstrates 10, such as a glass substrate and a resin substrate. Thearray substrate AR includes a switching element SW, a pixel electrodePE, a first insulating film 11, a second insulating film 12, a thirdinsulating film 13, a pixel electrode, a first alignment film AL1, apillar-shaped spacer SP1, etc., facing the counter substrate CT of thefirst insulating substrate 10.

The switching element SW shown here is a thin film transistor (TFT), forexample. Although the switching elements SW may be any of a top gatedtype and a bottom gated type, the top gated type is used in thisembodiment. The switching element SW is equipped with a semiconductorlayer SC arranged on the first insulating substrate 10. Although thesemiconductor layer SC may be formed with poly-silicon, amorphoussilicon, oxide semiconductor, etc., the poly-silicon is used in thisembodiment. In addition, an under coat layer which is an insulating filmmay be arranged between the first insulating substrate 10 and thesemiconductor layer SC. The semiconductor layer SC is covered with thefirst insulating film 11. Moreover, the first insulating film 11 isarranged also on the first insulating substrate 10.

A gate electrode WG of the switching element SW is formed on the firstinsulating film 11, and located right above the semiconductor layer SC.The gate electrode WG is electrically connected with the gate line G, orformed in one with the gate line G. The gate line G containing the gateelectrode WG is covered with the second insulating film 12. Moreover,the second insulating film 12 is arranged also on the first insulatingfilm 11. The first insulating films 11 and the second insulating Mm 12are formed of transparent inorganic system materials, such as siliconoxide (SiOx), for example.

A source electrode WS and a drain electrode WD of the switching elementSW are formed on the second insulating film 12. The source electrode WSis electrically connected with the source line S, or formed in one withthe source line S. The drain electrode WD is apart from the source lineS. The source electrode WS and the drain electrode WD are in contactwith the semiconductor layer SC through a contact hole which penetratesthe first insulating film 11 and the second insulating film 12,respectively. The source line S containing the source electrode WS andthe drain electrode WD are covered with a third insulating film 13. Thethird insulating film 13 is arranged also on the second insulating film12. A contact hole CH which penetrates to the drain electrode WD isformed in the third insulating film 13. The third insulating film 13 isformed, for example, of a transparent resin material, and equivalents toa first organic insulating film.

The pixel electrode PE is formed on the third insulating film 13. Thepixel electrode PE is in contact with the drain electrode WD through thecontact hole CH. The pixel electrode PE is formed of transparentelectric conductive materials, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and IndiumZinc Oxide (IZO), for example. The pixel electrode PE is covered withthe first alignment film AL1.

The pillar-shaped spacer SP1 is formed on the third insulating film 13.The pillar-shaped spacer SP1 is formed, for example, of resin materialso as to contact the counter substrate CT.

On the other hand, the counter substrate CT is formed using thetransparent second insulating substrates 30, such as a glass substrateand a resin substrate. The counter substrate CT is equipped with ashield layer (black matrix) 31, a color filter 32 (a red color filterlayer, a green color filter layer, and a blue color filter layer areincluded), an overcoat film 33, a common electrode CE, and a secondalignment film AL2, etc., on the second insulating substrate 30 facingthe array substrate AR.

The shield layer 31 is formed on the second insulating substrate 30facing the array substrate AR, and defines each pixel PX forming anaperture AP in the active area ACT. The shield layer 31 counters lineportions arranged in the array substrate AR, such as the gate line G,the source line S, and the switching element SW.

The color filter 32 is formed in the aperture AP, and also extends onthe shield layer 31. The color filter 32 is formed of the resin materialcolored in several mutually different colors, for example, three primarycolors of red, blue and green. The boundary of the different colorfilters overlaps with the shield layer 31.

The overcoat film 33 covers the color filter 32. The overcoat film 33makes flat the surface unevenness of the shield layer 31 and the colorfilter 32. The overcoat film 33 is formed of transparent resin material.

The common electrode CE is formed on the overcoat film 33 facing thearray substrate AR. The common electrode CE is formed of transparentelectric conductive materials, such as ITO and IZO. The common electrodeCE is covered with the second alignment film AL2.

The array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT as mentioned aboveare arranged so that the first alignment film AL1 and the secondalignment film AL2 face each other. In this case, the pillar-shapedspacer SP1 is arranged between the array substrate AR and the countersubstrate CT, and a predetermined cell gap is formed therebetween. Inthis embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the pillar-shaped spacer SP1 is formedon the array substrate AR, and supports the counter substrate CT. Inaddition, the pillar-shaped spacer SP1 may be formed on the countersubstrate CT so as to support the array substrate AR. The arraysubstrate AR and the counter substrate CT are pasted together by theseal material so as to form the cell gap therebetween. The liquidcrystal layer LQ is constituted by liquid crystal composite containingliquid crystal molecules enclosed in the cell gap formed between thefirst alignment film AL1 and the second alignment film AL2.

A first optical element OD1 equipped with a first polarizing plate PL1is arranged in the external surface of the array substrate AR, i.e., theexternal surface 10B of the first insulating substrate 10. Moreover, asecond optical element OD2 equipped with the second polarizing plate PL2is arranged in the external surface of the counter substrate CT, i.e.,the external surface 30B of the second insulating substrate 30.

The back light BL is arranged on the back side of the display panel PNL.As the back light BL, although various forms are applicable, theexplanation about a detailed structure is omitted.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in acircumference area PRP of the display panel PNL taken along line A-Bshown in FIG. 1.

In the circumference area PRP, the array substrate AR includesperipheral wirings which are not illustrated, the first insulating film11, the second insulating film 12, the third insulating film 13, etc.,formed on the first insulating film 10 facing the counter substrate CT.The first insulating film 11, the second insulating film 12, and thethird insulating film 13 extend up to the substrate end E13 of the arraysubstrate AR. The third insulating film 13 is arranged on the secondinsulating film 12 in the circumference area PRP, and has a first flatsurface 13A. In this embodiment, the third insulating film 13 has afirst concave portion 13B. The first concave portion 13B includes thedepth which penetrates to the second insulating film 12, for example.

In the circumference area PRP, the counter substrate CT includes theshield layer 31, the color filter 32, the overcoat film 33, etc., formedon the second insulating substrate 30 on the side facing the arraysubstrate AR. The substrate end E23 of the counter substrate CT islocated right above the substrate end E13 of the array substrate AR.

The shield layer 31 is formed on the second insulating substrate 30facing the array substrate AR, and covers almost whole of thecircumference area PRP. That is, the shield layer 31 is formedcontinuously up to the substrate end E23 without breaking off. Theshield layer 31 is formed of the resin material colored in black ormetal material having light blocking effect such as chromium (Cr), etc.,for example.

The color filter 32 and the overcoat film 33 overlap with the shieldlayer 31 in the circumference area PRP. In this embodiment, the colorfilter 32 overlaps with the shield layer 31 in the position whichcounters the first surface 13A in the circumference area PRP, andextends up to the substrate end E23. Moreover, the color filter 32includes a concave portion 32B penetrating to the shield layer 31 in theposition which counters the first concave portion 13B. Although thecolor filter 32 arranged in the circumference area PRP is formed of theblue color filter, the color filter 32 may be formed of the resinmaterial colored in other colors, for example.

The overcoat film 33 covers the color filter 32, and also covers theshield layer 31 exposed from the color filter 32. That is, the overcoatfilm 33 overlaps with the color filter 32 in the position which countersthe first surface 13A, and extends to the concave portion 32B of thecolor filter 32 in the position facing the first concave portion 13B soas to overlap with the shield layer 31. Moreover, the overcoat film 33extends up to the substrate end E23. The overcoat film 33 corresponds toa second organic insulating film, and includes a second flat surface 33Afacing the first surface 13A. The overcoat film 33 also includes asecond concave portion 33B that counters with the first concave portion13B or overlaps with the concave portion 32B.

The display panel PNL is further equipped with a pillar-shaped spacerSP2 and a resin layer 40 in the circumference area PRP. Thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer 40 are located between thefirst surface 13A of the third insulating film 13 and the second surface33A of the overcoat film 33. The resin layer 40 is located on thesubstrate ends E13, E23 side, and the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 islocated on the side adjacent to the active area. When forming thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer 40 with the pillar-shapedspacer SP1 in the array substrate AR, the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe resin layer 40 are formed on the first surface 13A of the thirdinsulating film 13 in the shape of a taper which becomes thinner towardthe counter substrate CT. The first concave portion 13B formed in thethird insulating film 13 is located between the resin layer 40 and thepillar-shaped spacer SP2. That is, the resin layer 40 is located betweenthe first concave portion 13B and the substrate end E13, and thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 is located adjacent to the first concaveportion 13B on the active area side.

In addition, the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer 40 may beformed in the counter substrate CT, respectively. In this case, they areformed in the second surface 33A of the overcoat film 33 in the shape ofa taper which is tapering off toward the array substrate AR. In thiscase, the second concave portion 33B is located between the resin layer40 and pillar-shaped spacer SP2.

In this embodiment, the respective tip portions of the pillar-shapedspacer SP2 and the resin layer 40 are apart from the second surface 33A.That is, clearance is formed between the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe overcoat film 33, and between the resin layer 40 and the overcoatfilm 33. The height of the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer40 from the first surface 13A to the tip portion is substantially thesame. On the other hand, the height of the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe resin layer 40 from the first surface 13A to the tip portion islower than the height of pillar-shaped spacer SP1 from the first surface13A to the tip portion in the active area. This is resulted by formingthe first concave portion 13B between the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe resin layer 40 when forming the pillar-shaped spacer SP1 with thesame material as the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer 40.The resin material formed on the first surface 13A for forming thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resin layer 40 flows into the firstconcave portion 13B. Accordingly, the film thickness of the resinmaterial formed on the first surface 13A in the circumference becomesthinner than that in the active area.

The seal material SE to attach the array substrate AR and the countersubstrate CT are arranged between the third insulating film 13 and theovercoat film 33. That is, the seal material SE intervenes between thefirst concave portion 13B and the second concave portion 33B whileintervening between the first surface 13A and the second surface 33A,and pastes the array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT together.Furthermore, the seal material SE intervenes also between the resinlayer 40 and the overcoat film 33 while contacting with the resin layer40, and extends up to the neighborhood in which the substrate end E13and the substrate end E23 overlap. When the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe resin layer 40 are formed in the counter substrate CT, respectively,the seal material SE intervenes also between the resin layer 40 and thethird insulating film 13. The pillar-shaped spacer SP2 is surrounded bythe seal material SE, and located in the seal material SE.

In addition, the seal material SE contacts with the resin material 40and extends up to near the other substrate ends except for the mountingportion. i.e., the position in which the substrate end E11 and thesubstrate end E21 overlap, the substrate end E12 and the substrate endE22 overlap, and the substrate end E13 and the substrate end E23 overlapin the whole of the circumference area PRP, not limited to theillustrated area. An outer end surface SEO of the seal material SE doesnot necessarily extend up to the position in which the substrate endsoverlap like the example shown in the figure. The seal material SE maycontain filler.

The liquid crystal layer LQ is enclosed inside an internal end surfaceSEI of the seal material SE on the active area side.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the counter substrate CT includes a thirdconcave portion 33C facing the third insulating film 13 in the innerside surrounded by the seal material SE, i.e., the area in which theliquid crystal layer LQ is enclosed in the circumference area PRP. Thatis, the color filter 32 includes a concave portion 32C which countersthe first surface 13A in the circumference area PRP. The color filter 32includes the concave portion 32B on the substrate end side and a concaveportion 32C on the active area side. The concave portion 32C has depthpenetrating to the shield layer 31 like the concave portion 32B.

The overcoat film 33 covers the color filter 32, and also the shieldlayer 31 exposed from the color filter 32. That is, the overcoat film 33overlaps with the shield layer 31 extending to the concave portion 32Cof the color filter 32 in the position where the overcoat film 33counters the first surface 13A. The overcoat film 33 includes a thirdconcave portion 33C that counters the first surface 13A and overlaps theconcave portion 32C.

In addition, although not illustrated, the common electrode may bearranged on the overcoat film 33 facing the array substrate AR in thecounter substrate CT, like in the active area.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure inthe circumference area PRP of the display panel PNL taken along line C-Dshown in FIG. 1.

The array substrate AR is equipped with the mounting portion MT. In thisembodiment, the first insulating film 11 and the second insulating film12 extend up to the substrate end E14. The third insulating film 13extends up to the substrate end E24 exposing the mounting portion MT.The resin layer 40 and the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 are formed on thethird insulating film 13. The resin layer 40 is located between thesubstrate end E24 and the first concave portion 13B, and extends up tothe neighborhood of the substrate end E24. The pillar-shaped spacer SP2is located between the first concave portion 13B and the active area.

The counter substrate CT is formed so that the mounting portion MT ofthe array substrate AR may be exposed, and the substrate end E24 islocated more inside than the substrate end E14. In this embodiment, theshield layer 31, the color filter 32, and the overcoat film 33 extend upto the substrate end E24. The overcoat film 33 includes the secondconcave portion 33B and the third concave portion 33C as well as thecross-section shown in FIG. 3. The substrate end E24 is located abovethe resin layer 40.

while the seal material SE intervenes between the first surface 13A andthe second surface 33A, the seal material SE intervenes between thefirst concave portion 13B and the second concave portion 33B, and pastesthe array substrate AR and the counter substrate CT together.Furthermore, while the seal material SE contacts the resin layer 40, theseal material SE intervenes between the resin layer 40 and the overcoatfilm 33. The outside end surface SEO of the seal material SE along themounting portion MT is located on the active area side rather than thesubstrate end E24. That is, in the position where the array substrate ARand the counter substrate CT counter along with the mounting portion MT,a space AG in which the seal material SE does not intervene between theresin layer 40 and the overcoat film 33. The seal material SE does notexist right under the substrate end E24.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a layout of the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 andthe resin layer 40 in the display panel PNL according to the embodiment.

The pillar-shaped spacer SP2 is located in the periphery of therectangular active area ACT, and formed in the dot shape. Although theillustrated example shows the case where the pillar-shaped spacers SP2are formed in two lines, the layout and arrangement density of thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 are not restricted to this example. Forexample, it is possible to control the cell gap of the circumferencearea PRP by adjusting the arrangement density of the pillar-shapedspacer SP2. More specifically, since the seal material SE invadesbetween the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the counter substrate CT byarranging the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 densely, the attached substrateCT easily warps upward. At this time, the density per unit area of thepillar-shaped spacer SP2 located in the seal material SE is made largerthan the density per unit area of the spacer arranged in the exterior ofthe seal material SE, i.e., the active area ACT. According to suchconfiguration, the cell gap of the circumference area PRP becomes largerthan the cell gap of the active area ACT. The expansion of the cell gapwhich arose in the circumference area PRP is utilizable as a space whichaccommodates the excessive liquid crystal material injected more thanneeded by One Drop Fill (ODF) method in the manufacturing process. Thatis, since the surplus liquid crystal material is accommodated by thespace which is formed by warping up of the counter substrate CT in thecircumference area PRP, the thickness of the liquid crystal layerbecomes uniform in the active area ACT. Therefore, it becomes possibleto achieve excellent and uniform display grace throughout the activearea ACT.

The resin layer 40 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame. Thatis, the resin layer 40 includes a segment 41 along the substrate endE11, a segment 42 along the substrate end E12, a segment 43 along thesubstrate end E13, and a segment 44 along the mounting portion MT of thearray substrate AR. The segment 42 and the segment 44 extend in theshape of a straight line along the first direction X. The segment 41 andthe segment 43 extend in the shape of a straight line along the seconddirection Y. While the segments 41 to 43 have the same width WA, thesegment 44 has broader width WB than the segments 41 to 43.

The first concave portion 13B is located between the pillar-shapedspacer SP2 and the resin layer 40, and formed in the shape of arectangular frame. Although the width of the first concave portion 13Bis formed uniformly, the portion along with the mounting portion MT maybe set to the smaller width rather than other portions.

Next, one example of a manufacturing method of the above-mentioneddisplay panel PNL is explained.

First, a mother substrate which collectively forms a plurality of arraysubstrates AR is prepared. The first mother substrate is formed using aninsulating substrate which becomes the first insulating substrate, andequipped with various wirings, such as the gate line, the source line,the switching element, etc., and various insulating films such as thefirst insulating film, the second insulating film, the third insulatingfilm, the pixel electrode, the first alignment film, the pillar-shapedspacer, and the resin layer, etc.

On the other hand, a second mother substrate which collectively forms aplurality of counter substrates CT is prepared. The second mothersubstrate is formed using an insulating substrate which becomes thesecond insulating substrate, and equipped with the shield layer, thecolor filter layer, the overcoat layer, the second alignment film, etc.

Then, the seal material SE is arranged on the first mother substrate orthe second mother substrate so that the seal material surrounds theactive area forming a closed-loop. The seal material SE is formed usingultraviolet curing resin, and applied by a dispenser.

Then, liquid crystal material is dropped on the inner side surrounded bythe seal material SE, and the first mother substrate and the secondmother substrate are pasted together. Although the seal material SEspreads in its width direction at this time, the spread of the sealmaterial SE is controlled by balancing with the spreading strength ofthe liquid crystal material toward the outside on the inner side of sealmaterial SE. On the other hand, excessive spread of the seal material SEto outside is suppressed because the overcoat film 33, the thirdinsulating film 13, and the resin layer 40 function as a floodgateagainst the seal material SE which entered into the first concaveportion 13B and the second concave portion 33B, and the floodgatebecomes resistance at the time of spreading of the seal material SEtoward the outside. Therefore, excessive spread of the seal material SEis controlled. In particular, the seal material is barred by the resinlayer 40 formed widely in the region along the mounting portion MT, andthe outside end surface SEO stops on the resin layer adjacent to thefirst concave portion 13B and the second concave portion 33B. For thisreason, crushing (contact to the pillar-shaped spacer SP2 and the resinlayer 40 by an overcoat film) by excessive spread of the seal materialSE is controlled. Then, curing processing is carried out to the sealmaterial SE.

Then, the display panels PNL are taken out from the pair of mothersubstrates, in which the liquid crystal layer is held between the firstmother substrate and the second mother substrate. In this process, theboth of the first mother substrate and the second mother substrate arecut along cutting lines, respectively. The second mother substrate iscut down on the resin layer 40 so as to expose the mounting portion MT.

According to this embodiment, even if the variation in the line width ofthe seal material SE occurs due to the variation in the amount of theapplied seal material SE, the third insulating film 13, the resin layer40 and the overcoat film 33 function as a floodgate. Accordingly, itbecomes possible to control excessive spread of the seal material SE tothe outside. Especially, in the region along the mounting portion MT,since the seal material SE is dammed up by the resin layer 40 formedbroadly, the outside end surface SEO of the seal material SE stops onthe resin layer 40 adjacent to the first and second concave portions 13Band 33B. For this reason, crushing by excessive spread of the sealmaterial SE can be controlled, and it becomes possible to form a propercell gap in the region along the mounting portion MT in thecircumference area PRP. The display unevenness (gravity unevenness,etc.) in the region along the mounting portion MT can be controlled, andto obtain good display grace.

Moreover, in the process of taking out the display panels PNL from thepair of mother substrates, the second mother substrate for forming thecounter substrate CT is cut down in the upper portion of the resin layer40 so that the mounting portion MT may be exposed. In this case, sincethe seal material SE is not placed at the position which overlaps withthe cutting line of the second mother substrate, it becomes easy toremove the portion facing the mounting portion MT by cutting.

Moreover, since the seal material SE is filled up not only between thethird organic insulating film 13 and the overcoat layer 33 but also inthe first concave portion 13B and the second concave portion 33B, itbecomes possible to increase the amount of the applied seal material SE.Further, it becomes possible to increase the areas of the arraysubstrate and the counter substrate, to which the seal material SEcontacts, respectively. For this reason, it becomes possible to improveadhesive strength to attach the array substrate AR and the countersubstrate CT by the seal material SE.

In addition, in the circumference area PRP which does not contribute tothe image display, it becomes possible to collect air bubbles in thethird concave portion 33C by forming the third concave portion 33Cinside the seal material SE in which the liquid crystal layer LQ isheld, even if air bubbles are generated in the liquid crystal layer LQ.Especially, when the dropping injection method is applied as themanufacturing method of the display panel PNL, and the dropped amount ofthe liquid crystal material is scant, air bubbles (low-temperature airbubbles) are easily generated in the liquid crystal layer LQ in a shockapplied from the exterior, etc. It is not permitted that such airbubbles exist in the active area ACT, and the bubbles cause the fall ofthe manufacturing yield. According to this embodiment, it becomespossible to suppress the fall of the manufacturing yield by collectingthe bubbles generated in the liquid crystal layer LQ in the thirdconcave portion 33C that does not contribute to the display. Moreover,when the dropping injection method is applied, even if the droppedamount of the liquid crystal material is superfluous, it becomespossible to accommodate the surplus liquid crystal material in the thirdconcave portion 33C, and to control the variation in the cell gap in theactive area resulting from the variation in the dropped amount, and tocontrol generating of the display unevenness in the active area.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible tosupply the liquid crystal display device with high display quality.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the inventions. In practice, the structural and method elementscan be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.Various embodiments can be made by properly combining the structural andmethod elements disclosed in the embodiments. For example, somestructural and method elements may be omitted from all the structuraland method elements disclosed in the embodiments. Furthermore, thestructural and method elements in different embodiments may properly becombined. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended tocover such forms or modifications as would fall with the scope of theinventions.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the seal material is arranged on onesubstrate without a break so that the active area may be surrounded.After liquid crystal material was dropped by the dropping injectionmethod, the pair of substrates is pasted together. However, theembodiment is not restricted to the above structure. For example, thepair of substrates is pasted together with a vacuum injection method byarranging the seal material so that active area may be surrounded, whileforming a liquid crystal injecting mouth on one substrate.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A display device, comprising: a firstsubstrate including: a first insulating substrate, and a firstinsulating layer arranged on the first insulating substrate in acircumference area outside an active area for displaying images; asecond substrate including: a second insulating substrate, and a secondinsulating layer formed on the second insulating substrate in thecircumference area: a seal material arranged between the firstinsulating layer and the second insulating layer to attach the firstsubstrate and the second substrate; a resin layer arranged between thefirst insulating layer and the second insulating layer, and arrangedalong at least three substrate ends in the circumference area; and apillar-shaped spacer in the circumference area, wherein a thickness ofthe second insulating layer located directly above the pillar-shapedspacer is greater than a thickness of the resin layer, and a firstconcave portion in the first insulating layer is formed between theresin layer and the pillar-shaped spacer.
 2. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the seal material is arranged between thefirst insulating layer and the resin layer or between the secondinsulating layer and the resin layer.
 3. The display device according toclaim 1, wherein the pillar-shaped spacer is located in the sealmaterial apart from the resin layer and adjacent to the active areabetween the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer. 4.The display device according to claim 1, wherein a second concaveportion in the second insulating layer is formed to face the firstconcave portion.
 5. A display device, comprising: a first substrateincluding: a first insulating substrate, and a first insulating layerarranged on the first insulating substrate in a circumference areaoutside an active area for displaying images; a second substrateincluding: a second insulating substrate, and a second insulating layerformed on the second insulating substrate in the circumference area; aresin layer arranged between the first insulating layer and the secondinsulating layer, and arranged along at least three substrate ends inthe circumference area; a seal material arranged between the firstinsulating layer and the second insulating layer to attach the firstsubstrate and the second substrate; and a pillar-shaped spacer in thecircumference area, wherein an outside end surface of the seal materialis arranged between the second insulating layer and the resin layer in aposition where the first substrate faces the second substrate, athickness of the second insulating layer located directly above thepillar-shaped spacer is greater than a thickness of the resin layer, anda first concave portion in the first insulating layer is formed betweenthe resin layer and the pillar-shaped spacer.
 6. The display deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the pillar-shaped spacer is located in theseal material apart from the resin layer and adjacent to the active areabetween the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer. 7.The display device according to claim 5, wherein a second concaveportion in the second insulating layer is formed to face the firstconcave portion.
 8. A display device, comprising: a first substrateincluding: a first insulating substrate, and a first insulating layerarranged on the first insulating substrate in a circumference areaoutside an active area for displaying images; a second substrateincluding: a second insulating substrate, and a second insulating layerformed on the second insulating substrate in the circumference area; aseal material arranged between the first insulating layer and the secondinsulating layer to attach the first substrate and the second substrate;a resin layer arranged between the first insulating layer and the secondinsulating layer, and arranged along at least three substrate ends inthe circumference area; a pillar-shaped spacer in the circumferencearea; and a first concave portion formed between the resin layer and thepillar-shaped spacer in the first insulating layer.
 9. The displaydevice according to claim 8, wherein a second concave portion is formedto face the first concave portion in the second insulating layer. 10.The display device according to claim 8, wherein the seal material isarranged between the first insulating layer and the resin layer orbetween the second insulating layer and the resin layer.
 11. The displaydevice according to claim 8, wherein the pillar-shaped spacer is locatedin the seal material apart from the resin layer and adjacent to theactive area between the first insulating layer and the second insulatinglayer.
 12. The display device according to claim 9, further comprising:a first optical element including a first polarizing plate; and a secondoptical element including a second polarizing plate, wherein the firstoptical element is arranged in an external surface of the firstsubstrate and overlaps the first concave portion, and the second opticalelement is arranged in an external surface of the second substrate andoverlaps the second concave portion.
 13. The display device according toclaim 9, further comprising a third concave portion formed in the secondinsulating layer, being closer to the active area than the secondconcave portion, and not overlapping the seal material.